Loading...
Sotalol, a beta-adrenergic blocking agent with antiarrhythmic properties, has been proposed as an alternative to quinidine or procainamide for prevention of atrial arrhythmias. This multicenter, randomized, unblinded study from Sweden compared sotalol with quinidine in 183 patients who had just undergone successful cardioversion of atrial fibrillation.
During 6 months of treatment, only about half the patients taking each drug remained in sinus rhythm. Thirty- four percent of the sotalol-treated patients relapsed into atrial fibrillation, compared with 22 percent of those treated with quinidine, a nonsignificant difference. However, sotalol-treated patients had a significantly slower heart rate when atrial fibrillation recurred (78 vs. 109 b…